1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gloves and a method for making the same. More particularly, the invention relates to gloves for use in various operations calling for water proofness and protection against cold and a method for manufacture of such gloves.
Gloves made of flexible foamed chloroprene rubber sheet have been used by divers and surf riders for cold protection. A glove of this type fits intimately with the hand and meets the cold protection requirement but has the following drawbacks.
(a) This type of glove is fabricated by bonding the end faces of component parts together with an adhesive while adjustment is made with fingers so that the final glove will be three-dimensional. Therefore, the process cannot easily be mechanized for mass production, with the result that the manufacturing cost of the glove is high.
(b) In end-to-end bonding or butt-adhesion, the bonding effect is sometimes incomplete. In such cases, the glove is not completely water-proof and is poor in strength.
(c) Unless the two component parts to be bonded are equal in elongation, they tend to become separated. Moreover, if they are of dissimilar materials, no adhesion may be obtained at all, depending on cases.
(d) In end-to-end bonding, if the foamed chloroprene rubber sheet is thin (particularly when it is less than 2 mm), the bonding area is so small that no sufficient bond strength can be obtained.
(e) The glove for use in water-associated operations in cold climate must be cold-proof, water-proof and abrasion-resistant.